Agriculture department: Fewer farms in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The number of farms in Virginia fell slightly last year compared with 2011.

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says the number of farms in 2012 is estimated at 46,200. That’s down 200 farms from the survey a year earlier. The surveys are conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Virginia Field Office.

There were 300 fewer farms that had less than $100,000 in agricultural sales, while operations with more than $100,000 increased by 100 farms.

The size of farms rose by 100,000 acres last year to 8.05 million acres. The average farm size is 174 acres, up 3 acres from 2011.